Sunday, April 3, 2016, 1am AEST, Anfield, watch on Fox Sports
Table position
Liverpool: Ninth
Tottenham: Second
Season record
Liverpool: 12-8-9
Tottenham: 17-10-4
Last five match results
Liverpool: LWWWD
Tottenham: WWDLW
Head-to-head odds
Liverpool: $2.60 with CrownBet.com.au
Draw: $3.20
Tottenham: $2.80
THE boring internationals are over and the English Premier League is back with a great rivalry game between Liverpool and Tottenham at Anfield.
And while this is a match up of two teams that have enjoyed vastly different fortunes this season, it could be a closer battle than the records suggest.
Tottenham has been hit by injuries in its quest to hunt down Leicester City for the Premier League title and keep old enemy Arsenal at bay.
But they may have a massive boost against Liverpool, with a pair of star defenders in line for selection.
Rock of Gibraltar centre half Toby Alderweireld has struggled with illness, but should be right to go, while Jan Vertonghen could be on the verge of a return.
Alderweireld pulled out of the Belgium squad against Portugal on the weekend because of sickness, while Vertonghen has not played for Spurs since the end of January after he suffered an injury to his knee ligaments in a match against Crystal Palace.
While both Vertonghen and Alderweireld have had positive injury updates, their lack of fitness, coupled with the emergence of stand in Kevin Wimmer, could mean one or both still misses the crucial clash.
Spurs are set to be without midfield whiz Erik Lamela, who apparently hurt himself in training for Argentina on the weekend.
Earlier this season, Liverpool was able to hold Spurs to a nil-all draw at White Hart Lane and a return home, despite the difference in desperation between the two teams, is set to end in a stalemate again.
The Reds had enjoyed some pristine form in the past month, smashing relegation struggler Aston Villa 6-0, before beating Manchester City 3-0 and then Crystal Palace 2-1 as they put together a three game winning streak.
And they were more than competitive away from home against a plucky Southampton outfit before the break, going down 3-2.
They will rue this one though, after going up 2-0 inside 22 minutes thanks to Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge. But Southampton fired in three goals after the break to break the Reds’ hearts.
It is hard to fault Tottenham’s form all season, but this match is their toughest ask for a month, after a pair of wins over Villa and Bournemouth followed a draw against Arsenal.
The clinical Spurs did the business against Bournemouth, gun striker Harry Kane firing a first half brace – including a goal in the first minute – with the match killed off by Christian Eriksen after the break.
Possible teams
Liverpool: Simon Mignolet, Nathaniel Clyne, Martin Skrtel, Mamadou Sakho, Alberto Moreno, Emre Can, Jordan Henderson, Philippe Coutinho, James Milner, Roberto Firmino, Daniel Sturridge
Tottenham: Hugo Lloris, Danny Rose, Kyle Walker, Toby Alderweireld, Kevin Wimmer, Eric Dier, Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen, Ryan Mason, Mousa Dembele, Harry Kane
Predictions
Match result: Draw ($3.20 with CrownBet.com.au)
Correct match score: 1-1 ($7 with CrownBet.com.au)
Total match goals: Under 2.5 ($1.84 with CrownBet.com.au)
It has been 55 years since Tottenham has won the top flight title. And, despite their wonderful season, we feel like it might be at least another year before they are celebrating. The five point gap on the Foxes enjoy is a tough ask and they have Arsenal breathing down their necks. It is pressure they have never had to deal with and, with a toughest run home, the cracks are set to appear on the weekend. Plucky Liverpool have enjoyed some strong form and will be no walk over by any stretch of the imagination. The rivalry game in front of the Kop could prove disastrous for Tottenham. In the Premier League, history is perhaps the best guide for future results and the past record between these two teams paints an ugly picture for Spurs. Liverpool had won five of the past six meetings between the two rival clubs, and Tottenham has won only one of their past 21 visits to Anfield. They will need to defy history to win in this one and we think the odds are stacked against them. Back the draw and hope Liverpool can match it with one of the fairy tale stories of the 2015-16 Premier League season.
First goal scorer predictions
Liverpool:
Philippe Coutinho ($8 with CrownBet.com.au)
We stress that you need check the teams before laying this bet, as Klopp has alluded to the potential for Coutinho to be rested, but the Brazilian’s goal scoring form is absolutely first rate. He has scored in each of his past two appearances for Liverpool in the Premier League and also fired in against Manchester City in the Capital One Cup just under a month ago. While the 23-year-old has had his fair share of critics during his time at Anfield, it’s difficult to come up with a better player in Liverpool colours. He could further endear himself to fans with a strike here and we feel like the scene is set – provide Klopp does the right thing by us and actually gives him a gig.
Tottenham:
Harry Kane ($4.80 with CrownBet.com.au)
The odds on favourite for the golden boot at $1.45 with sportsbet.com.au fired in a brace against Bournemouth to become just the fifth Englishman to break the 20 goal barrier in consecutive Premier League seasons. And he’s not done yet. With seven games to go in the season, the Tottenham wunderkind has 45 career goals – at just 22 – and has his sights set on Alan Shearer’s Premier League goal scoring record (still a long way away at 260. Two goals clear of Leicester City surprise packet Jamie Vardy, Kane will no doubt get his chances to fire in against Liverpool and it would come as no surprise if he were to make no mistake and add to his growing tally.
